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Here's the first of mani mini-rankings I'll scatter in between Buffy episode rankings. Reading this entry, it might sound like I worship Joss Whedon - but that's only because I worship Joss Whedon.

5. Joss Whedon the Actor

True, he was beyond authoritative in 'Veronica Mars' and he demonstrated extraordinairy dancing skills in Angel's "Through the Looking Glass", but I wouldn't exactly call acting his calling.

4. Joss Whedon the Show-Creator

He's very good in that department, but his shows in no way owe their success to the idea behind them, but rather to the great execution. Just watch 'Buffy: The Movie' for further proof (I haven't, but even without watching it I know it sucks badly).

The idea for 'Buffy' is a bit silly (even if there's a message behind that silliness), the idea for 'Angel' is… a very weak excuse to work in the same verse with the same characters. 'Angel', I feel, is a rare occasion when a series with no justification for being on the air actually works.

'Firefly' gets it done due to the nine characters populating it, not because it's in space. And Dollhouse had it's difficulties not just because FOX is evil, but also because its concept is extremely complicated and not easily relatable.

3. Joss Whedon the Director

Here we get to the things Joss is extremely good at. I'd argue that he's the best director in his shows, which is impressive because his competition is people who do directing for a living and nothing else. Although, granted, I'm not very knowledgeable in that department.

I think that Angel's "Touched" (season 2, episode 4) is the only episode Whedon has directed without writing it first, and it's pretty decent, but not otherworldly. This leads me to suspect that most of his excellent directing is thanks to him conceiving the story he's orchestrating, so that he comes into the shooting session already pretty much knowing what he wants to do with the camera and the actors. And I'm all for it.

2. Joss Whedon the Show-Runner \ Executive Producer

Not many people know what to do with the show they have in their hands. Quickly enough, they would turn to gimmicks, or to illogical twists, or to unrealistic character behavior, or to "outrageous" twists. Butt Joss proved, with two shows that ran over 100 episodes each, that he knows how to look at the big picture and remember where he came from. He knows where he wants to end up, but more than that, and more importantly, he knows how to get there in the most rich, meaningful way. He has the ability to surround himself with phenomenal writers, producers, directors, editors, actors and food-service people.

And with 'Buffy', he also knew when to end it.

1. Joss Whedon the Writer

All of Joss' other qualities are like a carpenter who knows how to fish and make soup - those are nice traits to have, but at the end of the day, a carpenter is still a carpenter. And at the end of the day, Joss is a writer.

What he knows best is to tell a story. To start at the beginning, twist and turn it in the middle, and pull it together at the end. It's as simple as that.

He knows how to listen to his characters. To make them say something that is funny or clever or is needed to move the plot along, but at the same time let them stay true to their nature. To make them do the unexpected thing - and at the same time let us realize that in retrospect, that's really the only thing they could have done.

He knows how to play with his language, so that his quotes are witty as hell, but it doesn't bother us because it's common in the world he had created.

But most of all, he knows how to get to the beating heart of the thing that he's trying to tell. So that when we get to the "big" moment, we get emotional not because the events are thrilling, but because we are in the situation, living it along with the characters.

The other writers on his shows often admit that if someone liked a line in an episode they wrote, it's indicative that Joss was the one to add that line.

To sum things up, Joss knows his script.

That's it. Those are my favorite Joss Whedons. And I didn't even mention Joss the Lyricist, Joss the Composer, or Joss the Computer Programmer.

My 65th least favorite Buffy episode of all time:

Season 2, episode 18.

Written be Dean Batali and Rob Des Hotel.

When Buffy gets the flue and is sent to the hospital, she starts seeing things that only children can see, and it brings back memories of traumas past.

'Buffy', in its core, is a show about growing characters, lasting relationships and developing plotlines. But every once in a while, especially if you're watching the first two seasons, you come across an episode that features a "monster of the week" - that means that the gang is faced with a problem they manage to solve in the confides of the 42 minutes they get, which means everything is back to normal by the end of the episode. "Killed by Death" is one of those flicks. It's set in a neutral environment (the hospital), it has a monster that gets conquered before long, and we are presented with new information that would never be addressed again. But somehow, I liked it a lot.

I guess it has something to do with the atmosphere. Everything seems to move in slow motion and in blurry colors, maybe because we see it all through Buffy's dazed eyes. And it made everything look unique, unlike all the other episodes in which the Scoobies are traveling from the library to the graveyard to the library again, all in bright colors and at normal speed. "Killed by Death" felt... eerie I guess, but in a good way.

We also had Buffy in a disadvantage (her sickness mirrored the helplessness she felt facing the thing that killed her cousin). And Buffy at a disadvantage is always better than Buffy at an advantage, because than she needs to work hard to reach her goals.

Plus, Willow being afraid of frogs, Xander standing up to Angelus and Cordelia being her soulless self were all great.

High point: The final scene with the three Scoobies in bed was adorable, and the painting sent from the kid was the icing on the cake.

Low point: Angelus could've offed Buffy more than one time in the episode, and yet he didn't because… because what exactly? Because Xander intimidated him? Because Willow was too much for him to handle? I expect the writers to come up with better excuses next time.

Quality Quote:

CORDELIA: Nobody told me I was supposed to bring a gift. I was out of the loop on gifts.
GILES: It's, it's tradition among, um... people.

Oh, and I have a confession to make - The first time I watched the episode I was like ten years old, and the monster got me so scared that I could only continue to watch it with the volume turned off. Sad, but completely true.

Sorry I haven't updated for the last couple of days, I've been busy with life stuff and the likes. Anyway -

My 65th favorite Buffy episode of all time:

Season 4, episode 21.

Written By David Fury.

Realizing Spike has tried to set them apart, the Scoobies decide to infiltrate the Initiative, in the hopes of saving Riley and killing Adam once and for all.

On the one hand, we have a season finale. Well, not technically, because "Restless" is the one to end the season, but "Primeval" is the one to tie all of the loose ends together. Season finales in 'Buffy' tend to come out just right. They usually manage to solve the problem, but to leave enough things open. To bring out the big guns, but to still maintain the intimate feel 'Buffy' excels at.

On the other hand, we have a season 4 episode. Those basically suck. They mostly deal with the boring Initiative, or with the even more boring Adam, or with the boring of them all, Riley - and sometimes, to mix things up, they deal with all three.

Combine those two completely opposites together and you get a season 4 finale: an episode that sucks, but does so spectacularly.

Let's start with the bad things: the story isn't compelling by any means. We don't care how this is all going to turn out. Those are just people going from one place to another, performing acts. It's not touching, it's not intense, it's not dramatic - it's just there. Wow, Riley has been captured. Damn, the army people got the gang cornered. Shit, Adam won't remove Spike's chip after all. It felt like watching these events from a safe distance - it passes the time, sort of, but it in no way affects you life.

But not all things are bad. When the lameness of the season 4 storylines wear off, there are some things that are really worth the watch. The Matrixy Buffy was kinda cool, although not completely original. And the dynamics between Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles are really heartwarming, especially after all this time each of them was only concerned with his or her problems. It was very satisfying to watch as they realized how much they mean to each other and how much they're worth when they're together - it's too bad we needed a whole season of suckishness to get to that satisfaction.

But the good attributes are what you call too little, too late. Looking back at it now, I wonder if I ranked it too high. Oh well. I'm hoping my ranking system is just complicated and clumsy enough, so that no one would notice.

High point: Buffy and Willow pulling Xander into a hug, leading to Xander advising Giles to come and join in on the fun.

Low point: The Maggie and Forrest Zombies. Who the hell thought this was a good idea, and did they get the spanking they deserve?

Quality Quote:

ADAM: Yes. I will honor our agreement to remove your chip. (to Forrest) Take his head off.